Guided By Voices: Ogre’s Trumpet [Album Review]

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Guided By Voices Ogre’s Trumpet GBV, Inc. [2018] Fire Note Says: The latest incarnation of a legendary band proves they’re still a deadly live act. Album Review: Sometimes bands release live albums as nothing more than sleazy cash grabs or they may be bankrupt of new and original ideas so they endlessly repackage past glories. … Read more

Roots Magic: Last Kind Words [Album Review]

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Roots Magic Last Kind Words Clean Feed Records [2017] Fire Note Says: Roots Magic delivers hard-hitting interpretations of delta blues and free jazz classics. Album Review: Roots Magic is a quartet of Italian musicians: Alberto Popolla on clarinet and bass clarinet, Errico De Fabritiis on alto & baritone saxophone, Gianfranco Tedeschi on bass, and Fabrizio … Read more

High Rise: High Rise II [Album Review]

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High Rise High Rise II Black Edition [1986/2018] Who: High Rise entered into Tokyo’s underground music scene in 1984. High Rise II is their sophomore record of psychedelic garage guitar music from 1986 that has now been reissued newly mixed and mastered by High Rise bassist/vocalist Asahito Nanjo. Sound: High Rise are a full on … Read more

First Aid Kit: Ruins [Album Review]

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First Aid Kit Ruins Columbia Records [2018] Who: Swedish sisters with their fourth full-length. Sound: Americana with a country-western influence. TFN Final Take: Klara and Johanna Soderberg have put out their fourth full-length album since 2010. Their sound has bounced between folk and occasional pop since then; Ruins see the band settle more deliberately on … Read more

Superchunk: What A Time To Be Alive [Album Review]

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Superchunk What A Time To Be Alive Merge Records [2018] Who: Chapel Hill’s Superchunk pull no punches and hit the current U.S. administration On the Mouth for being so Foolish. Sound: A relentless, urgent slice of Superchunk’s style of power-pop punk that never takes its foot off the gas. TFN Final Take: Superchunk have put … Read more

Olden Yolk: Olden Yolk [Album Review]

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Olden Yolk Olden Yolk Trouble In Mind Records [2018] Who: The New York-based group is led by songwriters, vocalists, and multi-instrumentalists Shane Butler (of Quilt) and Caity Shaffer. This is the band’s self-titled debut. Sound: Olden Yolk have the psych folk heart of the late 60’s early 70’s that now feels like a contemporary indie … Read more

Bill MacKay: Esker [Album Review]

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Bill MacKay Esker Drag City Records [2017] Fire Note Says: Bill MacKay covers a lot of ground on Esker. Album Review: The so-called “American Primitive” genre of solo instrumental steel-string acoustic guitar music generally is traced back to the recordings of John Fahey and other artists released on his Takoma Records label in the 1950s … Read more

Buffalo Killers – “Parachute” [Video]

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The eighth album from Buffalo Killers, Alive and Well in Ohio, was recorded at their Howler Hills Farm analog studio on their own terms. Equipped with only the knowledge they had gained over the years, the band crafted this album without rules or pressure.

Today, we get to see the album’s first video for the track “Parachute.” The group travelled the short trip North to Dayton as friend Chad Wells directed. As for the effort in making the video –
Andy Gabbard simply said “We played the song about three or four times on the roof of a bike park, and froze our asses off and that was that.”

Remember Sports: Slow Buzz (Grimace Purple & Bone Color in Color | 500 Copies)

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It took more than two years for all of the pieces to come together for Remember Sports’ forthcoming third album. In the time that has elapsed, Carmen Perry (vocals, guitar), Jack Washburn (guitar), and Catherine Dwyer (bass) have relocated from the tiny Midwestern college town of Gambier, Ohio, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, adding new drummer Connor … Read more

Kal Marks: Universal Care [Album Review]

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Kal Marks Universal Care Exploding in Sound Records [2018] Who: Boston’s Kal Marks get the new year started off on the right foot. Universal Care is my first favorite new record of 2018! Sound: Universal Care finds the band evolving into a distinctive brand of intense and monolithic noise rock. It is still Kal Marks; … Read more

The Friday Fire Track: Parquet Courts – “Almost Had To Start A Fight/In And Out Of Patience”

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Parquet Courts have just announced their fifth album, Wide Awake!, which will be released on May 18th via Rough Trade. Parquet Courts have been crazy consistent with solid output record after record which includes A. Savage’s excellent solo outing Thawing Dawn. The new record was produced by Brian Burton, better known as Danger Mouse, so … Read more

Hovvdy: Cranberry [Album Review]

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Hovvdy Cranberry Double Double Whammy [2018] Who: Based in Austin, Texas, Hovvdy (pronounced “howdy”) is the writing and recording project of Charlie Martin and Will Taylor. The duo, both primarily drummers, first met in the fall of 2014 and quickly bonded over a love for quiet music. Cranberry is their sophomore record. Sound: If you … Read more

Ruby Boots: Don’t Talk About It [Album Review]

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Ruby Boots Don’t Talk About It Bloodshot Records [2018] Fire Note Says: Aussie country rocker with promise debuts States-side for Bloodshot Records. Album Review: The second album from Ruby Boots roars out of the gate with “It’s So Cruel,” a cow-punk rocker that recalls the energy of Jason & The Scorchers. But before you get … Read more

Bill Mallonee & The Big Sky Ramblers: Forest Full Of Wolves [Album Review]

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Bill Mallonee & The Big Sky Ramblers Forest Full Of Wolves Self-Released [2018] Fire Note Says: Bill Mallonee is one of those best-kept secrets you really want to share with the rest of the music loving world. Album Review: No one is ever going to call singer/songwriter Bill Mallonee an under-achiever. His latest release, a … Read more

Stars: There Is No Love In Fluorescent Light [Album Review]

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Stars There Is No Love In Fluorescent Light Last Gang Records [2017] Who: Veteran indie pop band from Canada. Sound: Indie pop with a heart and a head. TFN Final Take: Stars is like a well-worn glove that is comfortable, reliable, but lacking in surprise or unpredictability. There is nothing wrong with that; they are … Read more

The Friday Fire Track: Ampline – “Captions”

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Let us introduce you to Ampline. Kevin Schmidt, Rick McCarty and Mike Montgomery have been writing, recording and touring as Ampline since 2001. This veteran act just released their fifth full length album, Passion Relapse, on January 26th via SofaBurn Records. You also might recognize Mike Montgomery from another band we enjoy, as he along … Read more

Brian Fallon: Sleepwalkers [Album Review]

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Brian Fallon Sleepwalkers Island Records [2018] Fire Note Says: A surprisingly joyful outing, Sleepwalkers makes clear that while Brian Fallon is certainly interested in evolving, it’s not likely that he ever really will. Album Review: Brian Fallon occupies a singular place in today’s rock and roll landscape. Like fellow folk-rock travelers Dave Hause and Chuck … Read more

Car Seat Headrest: Twin Fantasy [Album Review]

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Car Seat Headrest Twin Fantasy Matador Records [2018] Fire Note Says: Car Seat Headrest give the original 2011 Twin Fantasy a shot of rock adrenaline. Album Review: Twin Fantasy is a re-recorded, re-imagined new version of Will Toledo’s 2011 self-released Bandcamp record of the same name. Toledo will for sure take some critical hits for … Read more

Marriage + Cancer: Marriage + Cancer [Album Review]

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Marriage + Cancer Marriage + Cancer Self Sabotage Records [2018] Who: Portland’s Marriage + Cancer continue to scald everything in their path with their caustic noise rock! Sound: Uncompromising and brutal noise rock not unlike Jesus Lizard and In Utero-era Nirvana. TFN Final Take: It’s been awhile since Marriage + Cancer’s last release, Killjoy. That … Read more

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Wrong Creatures Tour 2018 [Concert Review]

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Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Wrong Creatures Tour, Newport Music Hall, Columbus, Ohio – Friday, February 9, 2018 The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, with it’s gloriously long moniker, arrived in middle America in support of their 8th album, Wrong Creatures (see album review HERE) on Friday night, playing the Columbus club closest to the Ohio State … Read more

Track Premiere: Nathaniel Bellows – “How High”

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For the past six years, published poet, novelist, visual artist, and musician, Nathaniel Bellows has been writing libretti for the composer Sarah Kirkland Snider. In fact, their last release, Unremembered (2015), was inspired by 13 of Bellows’ poems and illustrations. Now back out front for his sophomore album, Swan and Wolf, Nathaniel Bellows offers a … Read more

The Friday Fire Track: Pale Kids – “St. Theresa”

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Pale Kids new track, “St. Theresa” is the perfect power pop punk rocker to get your Friday cruising. This track is from their forthcoming release, Hesitater, which is a new three-song EP out March 23 via Father/Daughter Records. Durham, England’s Pale Kids have been releasing an assortment of splits and EPs since 2016 but one … Read more

Calexico: The Thread That Keeps Us [Album Review]

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Calexico The Thread That Keeps Us ANTI- [2018] Fire Note Says: Arizona’s Calexico offers up alt rock anthems and eclectic musical ruminations on the world at risk and the love that will sustain us in “the age of extremes,” on their ninth album, The Thread That Keeps Us. Album Review: The ninth album from Arizona-based … Read more

Sloan: 12 (Translucent Purple Vinyl | Limited)

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Sloan’s twelfth album (conveniently titled 12) is available to pre-order now! On 12, each of the four principals contribute three stellar songs that play to their core strengths: Patrick Pentland with the soaring rock anthems, Chris Murphy with the playful, participatory sing-alongs, Jay Ferguson with the jaunty prog-pop gems, and Andrew Scott with the whimsical … Read more

Ty Segall: Freedom’s Goblin [Album Review]

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Ty Segall Freedom’s Goblin Drag City Records [2018] Fire Note Says: Ty Segall creates a very fluid classic double album in Freedom’s Goblin. Album Review: The grandiose opening blare of instruments on Ty Segall’s new 75-minute double record, Freedom’s Goblin, really tells you all you need to know in its first 22 seconds. This is … Read more